Editorial: Principal bonuses

The Lee County School Board was going back and forth on a provocative idea.

The idea calls for extra pay for principals willing to accept the challenge of improving schools with histories of low achievement.

The concept assumes that these principals have the highest skills; that is why they are being chosen for these tough assignments.

One school of thought had these principals paid bonuses of up to $10,000 a year.

Another school of thought said go ahead, proceed with the bonuses, but only after the administrators show measurable results in the right direction.

Now the board has made a decision — to proceed with the bonuses. Principals are asked to make a three-year commitment, split the extra money 60-40 between the start and the end of each school year and fulfill a matrix of measurable standards.

We're always glad when someone pushes the envelope, even just a bit, when it comes to public education.

Yet, this is only a bit of a push. It borrows a school of thought that has been tried and tried again in corporate America, with dubious results.

Plus, we believe all principalships are challenging, albeit in different ways.

Most important, someone is missing in this conversation. That would be teachers and their role in the success of any student or school.

What about them?

We are not aware of any principal who can teach all the classes and do all the work that needs to get done — at even a high-achieving school.

In Collier County Public Schools, teachers who work in Immokalee get a 2 percent premium, and the only extra pay that administrators at challenging school assignments is that for extra time spent preparing for the start of the new school year.

Our takeaway from the Lee discussion is that everyone responsible for uplifting a failing school — principals and teachers alike — should share in the rewards.